Toward the Flame: A Memoir of World War I - Softcover

Allen, Hervey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803259476 ISBN 13: 9780803259478

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2003

Synopsis

Considered by many to be the finest American combat memoir of the First World War, Hervey Allen’s Toward the Flame vividly chronicles the experiences of the Twenty-eighth Division in the summer of 1918. Made up primarily of Pennsylvania National Guardsmen, the Twenty-eighth Division saw extensive action on the Western Front. The story begins with Lieutenant Allen and his men marching inland from the French coast and ends with their participation in the disastrous battle for the village of Fismette. Allen was a talented observer, and the men with whom he served emerge as well-rounded characters against the horrific backdrop of the war. As a historical document, Toward the Flame is significant for its highly detailed account of the controversial military action at Fismette. At the same time, it easily stands as a work of literature. Clear-eyed and unsentimental, Allen employs the novelist’s powers of description to create a harrowing portrait of coalition war at its worst.

About this title

About the Author:

Hervey Allen was the author of many volumes of poetry and prose, including the popular novel Anthony Adverse. Steven Trout is an associate professor of English at Fort Hays State University. He is the author of Memorial Fictions: Willa Cather and the First World War (Nebraska 2002) and a coeditor of Literature of the Great War Reconsidered: Beyond Modern Memory.

Review:

"This work has been considered by many to be the finest American frontline memoir to come out of World War I. It is powerful and certainly a classic."—Michael D. Hull, ARMY Magazine (Michael D. Hull ARMY Magazine)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0803259476
• ISBN 13: 9780803259478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 282